Seed-potato cutter.



c. M. BARNBBEY. SEED POTATO CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1911.

1,030,154. Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor Attorneys IJOLUMHIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,WASHlNOTON. D. C.

O. M. BARNEBEY. SEED POTATO CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1911.

1 ,030, 1 54. Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses CHARLIE 'M. BAR-NEBEY, 0F MULLEN, NEBRASKA.

SEED-POTATO CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 3, 1911. Serial No. 830,992.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLIE M. BARNE- nnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mullen, in the county of Hooker and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Seed-Potato Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting seed potatoes, one of its objects being to provide means whereby potatoes of all sizes will be accurately cut into a predetermined number of parts, means being employed for centering the potatoes above the cutting elements so as to insure the accurate cutting of thepotatoes.

Another object is to provide simple mechanism for forcing the potatoes against the cutting elements and to provide means for automatically feeding potatoes one at a time to the cutting elements.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in section of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, the lower portion of the elevator being removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the cutting elements and the centering devices thereabove. Fig. 1 is an enlarged transverse section through the elevator.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a table mounted on suitable supports 2 and provided with a longitudinal slot 3 adjacent the center thereof and with a preferably circular opening 41 between the slot and one end of the table. A band or ring 5 is fastened on the table by means of brackets 6 or the like and extends around the opening 1, this ring having upstanding parallel spring arms 7 provided, at their upper ends, with downwardly projecting spring fingers 8. The various fingers are all inclined downwardly toward the center of the opening 4:. Crossed blades 9 are mounted within the ring 5, these knives intersecting at the center of the space surrounded by the ring and dividing said space into a plurality of equal parts.

Hangers 10 extend downwardly from the sides of the table 1 and a shaft 11 is journaled in them, this shaft having a crank 12 between its ends and under the slot 3 while a balance wheel 13 is connected to one end of the shaft and a sprocket 14: is connected to the other end thereof. An arm 15 is pivotally connected at one end to the table 1, as indicated at 16 and a pitman 17 con nects the crank 12 to the arm 15. A slot 18 is formed longitudinally within the free end portion of the arm 15 and receives a stem 19 projecting upwardly from a presser block 20.

t is to be understood that the lower ends of the spring fingers 8 are sufficiently close to engage and support a seed potato of the smallest size and may thus operate to center any potato which may be fed thereto, over the intersecting portions of the cutting blades 9. When the shaft 11 is rotated, as by means of wheel 13, the pitman 17 swings arm 15 upwardly and thus elevates the presser block 20 above the arms 7. The potato can then be placed between said arms 7 so as to gravitate and rest upon the lower end portions of the fingers 8 and, as the shaft 11 continues to rotate, the block 20 is brought downwardly against the potato and forces it out of engagement with fingers 8 and onto the blades 9. These blades will thus sever the potato into a plurality of similar parts which will drop through the opening 4 into any suitable receptacle provided for them.

If desiredthe potatoes may be supplied automatically to the cutting mechanism. For this purpose side boards 21 may be extended upwardly to points adjacent and above the fingers 8, said boards being preferably supported by standards 22 at the upper ends thereof. Rollers 23 extend transversely between the upper and lower ends of the boards and an endless conveyor belt 2 1 is mounted thereon and has spaced cleats 25 extending transversely thereof. A sprocket 26 is secured to the upper roller 23 and receives motion, through a chain 27, from the sprocket 1 1. A hopper 28 is arranged above the lower portion of the ele Patented June is, 1912. s

Vator belt and is'adapted to be filled with seed potatoes. When the machine is operated in the manner hereinbefore described, the belt 24- is moved in the direction indi cated by the arrow in Fig. 1, thus carrying the potatoes upwardly so that they will be discharged from between the upper ends of the boards and onto the fingers 8. Each of the cleats 25 will, it has been found, en-

gage one potato and carry it upwardly and,-

' to lap the sides of the upper run of the belt 24.

It is to be understood that the fingers 8 do not press upon the potatoes until said potatoes are pressed toward the knives 9 by the block 20. There is thus no danger of bruising or cutting the potatoes to an objectionable extent as would be the case should they be held under pressure until the plunger or block descends. The fingers 8 merely constitute centering devices on which the potatoes rest loosely until pressed. downwardly onto the knives.

It is to be understood of course that other means than those described may be employed for feeding potatoes to the cutting mechanism.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the loosely between the arms,

lVhat is claimed is: Z

r l. A potato cutting machine including a ring, intersecting cutting blades therein, spring arms upstanding from the ring, the space surrounded by the arms being at alltimes of such size as to receive. a potato and downwardly converging spring fingers integral with the arms and extending from the upper ends thereof, said fingers cooperating to support a potato loosely'between the arms and to center it above the knives.

2. A potato cutter including a ring, intersecting cutting blades therein and'having their cutting edges in the same plane with the upper edge of the ring, normally parallel spring arms secured to the outer face of the ring and upstanding therefrom, and straight spring fingers converging toward the centers of the knives from the upper ends of the arms, said fingers constituting means for supporting a potato loosely and centered above the knives, a lever, a presser carried by the free end portion of the lever and of a diameter less than that of the space between the free ends of the fingers, and means for oscillating the lever to reciproeate the presser between the fingers without contacting with the ends thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLIE M. BARNEBEY. lVitnesses JACK G. Bmsrown, GEORGE WILGUS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

